Power Play
by Inkbug
Summary: When Alan Tracy finds himself placed under a curse by a demon known as Vypra, Lightspeed Rescue may be the only ones who can help the Tracy family... but time when time starts to run out, will they be able to find the soloution in time?
1. Between A Rock and a Hard Place

**Disclaimer: **_The Thunderbirds and its characters are property of the amazing Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. I'm just borrowing somebody else's toys for a bit. Power rangers on the other hand belongs to Saban, Bandai, and Disney. _

**Hey Guys! Welcome to my first attempt at writing "Thunderbirds" fanfiction! I've been lurking for a while, and decided to post something. It's a subtle blend of televsion-verse and movie-verse, along with a crossover from "Power Rangers- Lightspeed Rescue." Even if you don't watch LR you'll be able to follow this with great ease. I hope... Cannon -wise, this takes place in the summer following the movie, and for PRLR, it's after the episode **"**A Face From the Past". That said- I hope you enjoy it!**

**Power Play**

Chapter One: Between A Rock and a Hard Place

_a thunderbirds/lightspeed rescue crossover fanfiction_

_By- _

_Little Bat_

It seemed like they had been searching for hours, combing every inch of the abandoned mine for a treasure that might not exist. Craig Townsend and his team, Julie Smith, Adam Dansforth, Ian Wyatt, and Chase Carter had been searching for weeks for this supposed 'treasure', and so far, it didn't seem like they were going to find anything for all their effort.

The flashlight's glow bounced eerily over the rocks, illuminating crevices, as it highlighted the shadows along the way. There were ten of them split into two teams, and paid good money to find the remnants of a treasure that was said to exist deep within the mine. Although the pay was as good as it was, the lack of success in finding anything was beginning to get to both teams, and bets were being placed that the venture would be a failure.

The walkie-talkie in his pocket crackled to life. "Hey - it's Julie. Come down to the Southwestern tunnel, I think I got something important for ya."

Craig couldn't help but hide a grin. "This is Craig. Excellent work Jules. I'll head over to your position now."

"Ian's already here- he was with me when we found it. You're going to _love_ this."

The southwestern tunnel was located almost half of a mile from the entrance to the cave. So Craig found himself backtracking as he raced towards his teammates. Coming upon the entrance of the long tunnel, he reached for his walkie-talkie. "Jules- how far back are you? I'm at the southwest tunnel now and about to head in."

"We're around... oh, not even quite half a mile in. There's a small pocket, it's almost like a cave. I dunno how we missed it on our first run-through of this cave!"

Craig didn't care about the how's or the why's of the situation, only the fact that their effort was paying off. After close to two weeks of searching, they'd found something.

Then the world around him exploded. The mine was suddenly tilted on it's axis and Craig found himself skidding, trying to maintain footing on a sideways slant, he fell, his body rolling sideways to match the slant of the ground underneath him. The last thing he saw before his skull connected with the side of the tunnel was a slender figure of a woman, large bat-like wings protruding from her back. Her harsh laughter echoed around him as the world faded away to nothing.

Alan slid into the copilot seat for Thunderbird 2, his left hand beginning to anxiously tap against the console as he waited for Banshee Pass, California to come into view. He turned toward his brother, about to open his mouth so that he could ask a question.

"No Alan, we're not there yet."

"That's not what I was going to ask!"

Virgil chuckled, it was so easy to get his brother riled up, sometimes it was too easy. "Just kidding Sprout. What's up?"

" Have you ever realized we hardly ever have rescues in California. I mean. I'm pretty sure there have been a few, but none in the past few years. I mean, that place always has some kind of monster attack going on, so how come we never get called in?" Then, automatically he added, "and you know I hate it when you call me Sprout."

"Sorry Alan, you've heard of Lightspeed Rescue, right?"

The blond-haired Tracy boy nodded. "Who hasn't? They're on the news almost as much as we are... and don't some of Dad's friends work for them too?"

Virgil nodded. "Yeah- the Mitchells. Dana's been over a few times and Captain Mitchell is a good friend of Dads. Anyway, that's their jurisdiction. Between them and the Rangers there's really no real need for us to go there, since usually they have things covered. Since the Rangers are mostly local, that leaves us free to deal with rescues in other places."

"So how come we are going their now if that's the Ranger's territory?"

"Good question. I'm actually not that sure. Guess they're stretched pretty thin right now. There is some scary stuff going on with these monsters constantly attacking. It seems like California goes through a new Ranger team every year or so. Things are pretty crazy down there."

Alan nodded in understanding. They were stretched out thin too. There seemed to be a rescue every week and a half. Up on the newly repaired Thunderbird 5, John was kept busy monitoring disaster situation after disaster situation. Alan wasn't complaining, after all- it was good experience. He was allowed on some of the smaller rescues, and this would have been the first major rescue since the Hood's attack back during the spring. Now, he and Fermat were home for the summer and they were able to participate more actively on rescues, in addition to spending more time on training exercises with his brothers and Tin-Tin.

Turning his attention back to the windshield of Thunderbird 2 Alan noticed a large canyon that broke the monotony of the grassy fields and the rolling hills. "Hey Virge- is that it?"

The older boy nodded. "Got it in one- Hopefully Gordon's got the Thunderizer ready. We're going to needed it. John said that there were some miners trapped in an abandoned mine in the canyon."

A frown crossed Alan's face. "Why were they down there to start with? Aren't mines usually closed down for a reason?"

"You make a good point. John said that they're part of some sort of archaeological dig."

"In the middle of a mine? That's stupid."

"Yeah, he was pretty vague on the details. Supposedly there's some treasure that was hidden there. A few years ago, one of the miners actually found it, but the mine collapsed suddenly and was deemed unsafe. My guess is that the people who got trapped are treasure hunters."

Alan rolled his eyes. That made sense, after all people did stupid things when they got too greedy for their own good.

"Anyway- it's going to be our job to help find these people and get them out."

"Great... another fun rescue."

Virgil shook his head. He didn't want to break it to his younger brother that the likelihood of Scott letting Alan into the mine was slim to none. The two of them would probably wind up assisting people aboveground, with Alan helping to operate the Thunderizer if it were absolutely necessary. Despite being a beginner, Alan was already proving to be a valuable help to their organization. Sometimes though, it was hard to realize that he was almost fifteen, and more than capable in carrying out many of the difficult tasks that went along with being an agent of International Rescue.

With all the grace and speed of an entire team of professionals, Alan and Virgil steered Thunderbird 2.

"Alan, I almost forgot to ask you, Is the Thunderizer prepped for drilling?"

Alan nodded. "Yeah, I was just in there about ten minutes ago. Gordon says she's ready to roll. He's just getting the console cleaned up so he doesn't have to sit around and wait."

"FAB. I'm going to 'comm him now." He fiddled with the consoles switches for a moment, and quickly paged his brother form where he was working in Thunderbird 3's hanger bay. "Hey Gordon! We're coming up onto Banshee Pass now. Our ETA into the valley is three minutes and counting."

"Roger that Virge. I'm heading up into the console room now."

***

Both rescue vehicles arrived on the scene almost at the exact same time, and Scott Tracy stepped out, dressed in the familiar silver and blue uniform of International Rescue, and moments later he was joined by the rest of his siblings.

There was a slew of people running about trying to regroup after the Earthquake, people were putting back up tents of equipment and making frantic cell-phone cars. Although a large crowd had gathered around the Thunderbird vehicles, despite the worry that chocked the area.

A young woman shoved her way through the crowd, her face streaked with dirt and grime, and brown hair that had once hung up in a pony-tail now was almost totally down around her face. "Thank God you could come! I tried to get in contact with Lightspeed, but they seem to be in the middle of a crisis, and they couldn't spare any Rangers! Listen- there's six miners trapped in the cave. We can't get a hold of them. It's almost like the Earthquake knocked out all communications into the mines and Lightspeed told us not to go in after them."

"That's good advice. We don't know how stable they are. When was the last time you had any sort of contact with the missing?"

"A half-hour ago, just before the Earthquake. The second team had come in for lunch. But Julie- she's one of the miners – said that she found something in the southwestern tunnels, so the team stayed to try to figure out what it was."

"What are the names of the missing miners ma'am?"

" The missing are Craig Townsend and his team, Julie Smith, Adam Dansforth, Ian Wyatt, and Chase Carter. Nobody has heard from them since the Earthquake. There's a lot of rubble in the front of the cave. We're afraid they may be trapped somewhere."

Scott nodded in understanding. "Thanks for the information- we're going to try our best to get them out of there."

A look of relief spread across the young womans face. "Thank you so much."

Almost instantly, Scott turned to his brothers, and slipped into what Gordon had jokingly dubbed his "commander" mode. "Gordon and I'll will be going in ahead to see if we can't find the miners without the Thunderizer. The mine looks unstable, and I don't want either of you going in alone. Virgil- can you see if anybody on-site needs any medical assistance? Try to talk to people and get an account of what happened. We're going to need to so that we could debrief the Captain."

Alan and Gordon grinned at the 'nickname' for their Dad. He was more like a _Commander _than a Captain. But the nickname had stuck.

"Alan- you're going to stay with Virgil. Help him with first aid. We'll try to contact you if we need help."

"What!?" Alan exploded. "That's not fair!" He didn't want to be stuck above-ground while his brother's went on the rescue. Any other complaints he may have had were silenced instantly by a sharp glare from Scott, and he relented. A rescue-site wasn't the place for petty fights that much he knew. Though that still didn't change his feelings on the matter.

Virgil gave a resigned sigh. "Look- they said that the miners communication devices weren't working. You're going to be without a call. If you're not back in a half-hour we're coming in with the Thunderizer. Got it? If you need help, one of you is going to need to come back and get us."

"FAB Virge. We'll be careful."

"Good- or else I'll sic Dad on you once we get home."

"You know, you're hilarious – did anybody ever tell you that?"

***

"John said that the Southwest Tunnel was to the right, almost fifteen feet into the cave. The trapped miners are located in a pocket almost a half-mile in." Scott reiterated, shining his flashlight slowly around the mine – it's dark spaces shimmering into view before them.

"How come, if this this tunnel is so close to the entrance they didn't find it sooner?"

"I dunno... Maybe they thought it was too close to really hold anything valuable, so they overlooked it?"

"Possible. They must have been pretty stupid then, to miss something that big. Or they just wanted to get out quickly as possible." Gordon wasn't going to admit it, but the further into the mine they traveled, the greater his unease grew. It seemed like the stone walls were pressing in around him, the walls creaking and groaning from holding up the weight of the world above. The silence between him and Scott wasn't doing anything to settle his nerves. Gordon wasn't claustrophobic, but this place was giving him the creeps, and he was stating to wonder if it was getting to Scott as well.

He hated being without backup- and there was something... almost malicious about the way the tunnels enveloped them. He wanted to get this rescue done with as quickly as possible, so they could be back home.

"Oh my God."

Scott's hushed exclamation startled Gordon out of his train of thoughts. "What!? What's wrong?!" The copper-haired Tracy followed the beam of light, and took two sudden steps back.

Sprawled against the side of the tunnel like a discarded rag-doll was a human body. It was a man, brown hair plastered against his face. Eyes wide and staring unseeingly at the tunnel ceiling above him. There wasn't any question to either brother that he was dead.


	2. Rescue at Banshee Pass

**Okay - I went back and edited chapter one. They're now in the Thunderizer instead of the Mole, and in Thunderbird 3 instead of Thunderbird 2. Next chapter introduces the Lightspeed Rangers. There will be a bit of a crossover romance... nothing major. Though it WON'T be between who you think. That said, on with the story! *blares trumpets* **

**EDIT 4/18/09: Fixed some notable mistakes, thanks to _Little Miss Bumps _help. Hopefully it flows much better now! :D  
**

Power Play

_a thunderbirds/lightspeed rescue crossover_

By- Little Bat

Chapter Two: Rescue at Banshee Pass

Thousands of miles above the Earth, Thunderbird Five monitored thousands of potential disasters all over the Earth. There never seemed to be a moment of true silence among the computers whirring, and John's constant calls back and forth to his family. It had taken some getting used to, being back up on the station after months of of groundwork. Brains and Fermat had done a fantastic job fixing the Thunderbird. Though it had taken him the better part of a month to become reacquainted with 'his' bird.

Although, to John, It seemed at the moment that he didn't know it as well as he had thought. The monitor, that was supposed to be checking the areas around Banshee Pass, was displaying nothing but static, and had been for the better part of a half hour. Angrily, he did the only thing he could think of. He smacked the monitor soundly on it's metal side. To his surprise, that seemed as though it would to the trick. It flared back to life, leaving everything just as it had been no more than twenty minutes ago. However, that didn't answer the one niggling question on the back of his mind. Why couldn't he get a hold of his brothers? He decided to try again.

"Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird 1, come in Thunderbird 1."

There was nothing except the white static that filled the air. Sometimes he hated being up here, especially when his siblings were on a rescue like this one. "Thunderbird 5 to Thunderbird 3, can you read me?"

After what seemed like hours, Virgil's voice came over the speakers, loud and clear. "Thunderbird 5 this is Thunderbird 3. We're reading you loud and clear."

"Have you been able to talk with Scott and Gordon since they entered in the mines?"

"They took off down the tunnels maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago, they haven't checked in yet."

"Call them, I'm not getting through. Something is interfering with the instruments and the video monitoring went dead for a good thirty minutes ago."

"You're kidding!? Hang on a sec, and I am going to try and contact Scott."

John's drummed out some unknown tune as he waited for Virgil to contact him again. All the while his mind raced. Something was wrong, he'd never experienced a communications failure like this before.

_Ubnless... that's impossible though. Isn't it?_

His thoughts jumped back toward the Hood's attack that spring. Could somebody be trying to block his video and audio feed? He had no way of knowing if that were possible, especially with all of the firewalls that Brains added. It would have had to have been somebody on another satellite to do so, and apart from the Hood, nobody knew where his location was, or even how to contact him. So was going on?

"John?" Virgil's panicked voice coming from the speaker forced him to be more alert. "I can't get a hold of either Scott or Gordon!"

If John hadn't had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach before, he did now.

***

Gordon and Scott knelt down next to the body, careful not to allow any of the blood that pooled around the head to come into contact with their skin. If Virgil had been there, he would have been able to pinpoint the cause of death by that time. However, Scott could only assume that he'd died when he fell. Probably loosing his balance during the quake. Though, he wasn't sure if falling like that could kill you. There was no other option. There were no dislodged rocks near the body. Indeed, the area around the body was easier to navigate than most of the tunnels.

"How do you think he died?" Gordon asked, voice tense. This was the part of the job that nobody liked.

"My best guess? A blow to the head, most likely caused by a fall. The trauma must have killed him."

Gordon shuddered. What a place to die. If he was going to go out, he was NOT going to die trapped in some stinking tunnel. There was no way in hell.

The oldest Tracy turned to his communicator, "Come in Thunderbird 5, we found of the missing miners. Do you copy?" He waited for several long moments and tried again, only to be met with silence.

"There must be something interfearing with our signal." Scott sighed, "We shouldn't be too far away from the coordinates that John gave us before we landed. The trapped miners should be around here somewhere. One of us can go back for the other's if we need help."

The rest of the trip passed by in a tense silence. Even Gordon couldn't muster up any jokes to crack. There was something off down in the tunnels. Something that neither boy could pinpoint, but both felt.

So when Gordon first heard the voices, his first thought that spending so much time in the dark gloom was making him crazy. But when Scott glanced down at him, eyes wide, he knew that the voices were indeed real.

"They're down at the end of this tunnel!" Scott said, as the two broke into a steady run before they skidded to a stop, almost three hundred paces from where they had been. At that point, the tunnel branched off, one continued straight down, while the other took a sharp turn to the right. Or, it would have gone to the right, if it not for the fact that large rocks prevented anybody from entering, or exiting.

"We're with International Rescue!" Scott announced, raising his voice so it echoed off of the rocks around them. "Are any of you hurt?"

"Thank God!" It was a woman's voice. "I'm Julie Smith. I'm with Adam, Ian and Chase. Ian hurt his leg in the fall. We're pretty sure it's broken."

Scott winced. If his leg was broken, they'd need Virgil so that they could move the injured man properly. "Alright. Ma'am? I'm going to get our other teammates. We're going to get something to dig you out, and a stretcher for Ian, all right? We'll have you out of here in no time at all."

He turned to Gordon. "Thunderbird 4, I need you to go to the surface and get the Thunderizer prepped. I don't know if the Mole will do any good with these huge rocks, and we don't want to cause any more damage to the structure." Scott eyed the walls around them warily. "Bring Thunderbird 2 here as well. We're going to need his help bracing Ian's leg and getting him out of the cavern." His voice dropped marginally. "Don't let Alan come down here. I don't trust the caves not to collapse. Besides, we're going to need somebody on the outside in order to contact John."

Gordon let out a low whistle. "Sprout's not going to like that."

"No, but he'll have to deal. We don't know what firing the Thunderizer will do to the structure, and we don't want any more people getting caught in the mines. And I have no idea if there will be any aftershocks from that last big quake."

Gordon knew Alan wasn't going to stay surface-bound. Truth be told, Gordon wasn't going to make him. After all, he'd been in a similar position when they'd first funded International Rescue. Being left behind sucked and Alan wanted to help, he needed to help, and that's what Gordon was going to let him do.

"Look Scott, I can't make any promises. The kid's got a mind of his own." He grinned. "I think he gets it from you and Dad."

"This is coming from the one who dyed their hair blue. Just to see if he could. Really Gordon, the color looks better on the ocean than it does in your hair."

"Yeah, but Dad's reaction was priceless. Besides, I'd rather be grounded like I was last time than going off into that gloom. Looming gloom." He muttered.

"Oh come on. I know dark spaces don't bother you that much." Scott knew that was the _exact _opposite from how Gordon really felt, as the younger teen hated underground rescues. Unless they were under_water _he preferred to stay on the surface."

"It's not the dark, it's the fact that we're miles underground that I don't like."

***

Above ground, Alan paced back and forth beside Thunderbird Two. Blue eyes anxiously darted from the Thunderbird to the entrance to the mines. Virgil had been trying for the past ten minutes to call Scott and Gordon, but they still weren't getting any signal.

"Just brilliant." He muttered – unhappy with being left behind while his brothers were doing God knew what, without him. He hated being left behind. He thought being a Thunderbird would make it easier, but it didn't. Then his communicator faired to life, and Tin-Tin's voice was a welcome relief from his own thoughts.

"Alan!" She greeted, and the teen could hear the worry in her voice, "have you been able to get in touch with Virgil or Gordon yet?"

"Nope. Nothing but static! Any luck on your end?"

He, Tin-Tin, and Fermat had been alternating duties when on active Thunderbird duty, and he was thrilled at having his two best friends working alongside him at various rescues. Fermat's allergies made some rescues difficult, but he was proving to be an invaluable asset when it came to technical support.

"We can't get in touch with them either. But Fermat wants to talk to you."

"Dad and I have been examining different causes for the c-com," the boy sighed "for the static. We think their may be some kind of mineral compound inside the walls of the mine that are preventing any kind of s-s-si transmission from getting through. It may be some kind of magnetic field."

Alan frowned (even though he knew Tin-Tin and Fermat couldn't see it) while Fermat continued. "The only other p-p-possibility is that somebody was able to hack into our systems."

That news certainly wasn't better. "That should be impossible, right?"

"Right Alan. Dad installed some new protocols that were designed to prevent a blackout like this."

Good, that meant that Fermat's first guess was likely the correct one. The genius was usually right, Alan had learned the hard way not to doubt Fermat when it came to things like science. _Girls on the other __hand- are not his forte._ Alan thought was a smile.

"Thanks for the news Ferm. I'll call you guys back if we hear anything."

"FAB Alan."

"Don't do anything stupid!"

"When do I ever?" He could almost see Tin-Tin rolling her eyes from her place helping Fermat and Brains operating the controls on Tracy Island before they terminated communication.

"Hey! Somebody's coming out of the tunnel!"

Alan felt his entire body tense. It was one of the miners that had shouted out the news, but Alan was one of the first people on the scene. Trying to peer into the dark to see who it was. Relief, mixed with worry filled the pit of his stomach when he realized that it was Gordon , and that worry increased when he realized that Gordon was alone.

He and Virgil were by his side within moment's.

"You aren't hurt are you?" Virgil demanded.

"Nope I'm all right. One of the miners has a broken leg, but apart from that the others are injury-free. But there... there was a body in the tunnel. We couldn't ID him."

Virgil felt his stomach drop, he hated the fact that there wasn't anything that he could about that. A broken leg however, was something he could fix and it kept his mind off of what he couldn't do. There had been lots of minor injuries he'd helped treat from the aftermath of the Earthquake. Now though he was going under to help his family.

Lisa- the young woman who had funded the expedition – frowned. "Do you want me to go in and ID the body?"

Gordon shook his head. "Not right now. We keep on waiting for an aftershock of some kind. Once it's clear, we'll let you head in, all right?"

She nodded, worry etched across her face.

"I'm going to need you to get the Thunderizer ready Sprout." This time, Gordon was calling the shots.

Alan crossed his arms, trying not to roll his eyes at the nickname. "Only if I can come with you."

"Alright."

"Look! I am _not_ going to stay behind... wait, I can come?"

"Yup."

It was all Alan could do to keep from cheering, but he was bound and determined to be as mature as possible. Though that didn't stop him from leaping off excitedly and heading into the hanger bay of Thunderbird 3 to bring out the Thunderizer.

Virgil turned to Gordon. "Scott is going to let Alan go?"

"Nope."

"He's going to kill you. You're aware of that right?"

"This isn't the first rescue Sprout has been on. And he handled himself really well with the Hood. And if that isn't a high-pressure situation, I don't know what is."

Virgil knew that Alan had proved himself capable. However, it didn't lessen the fact that he was above all, their baby brother first and a Thunderbird second. It was hard on all of them having to adjust to the change of bringing him on the rescues. Not because he wasn't a help, but because, when it came down to it- the oldest Tracy brothers were a bunch of mother hens.

Speak of the Devil. Virgil thought as any conversation on the matter stopped while the large form of the Thunderizer rolled into view, piloted by none other than (of course) Alan Tracy.

It came to a jerky stop, a few feet away from where they were standing, it hadn't crashed over anything, but the rough handling of the breaks couldn't have been good for the vehicle. _Mental note: work on Alan's breaking skills._

* * *

Truth be told, Alan wasn't a bad driver, but Gordon couldn't help but tease as there was a particularly rough patch of ground. "Gee Alan, what are you trying to do- kill me?" He cried, turning an accusatory glare towards the younger boy.

Alan however, was used to his brother's teasing. "Look, if you are going to nitpick my driving, you could have just stayed on the surface!"

"Aw, but _Allllaaan_. You know I love going down into dark, creepy tunnels."

"It's your favorite sport isn't it?" Alan deadpanned.

"Of course! Nothing beats cave plunking."

Virgil sighed "It's 'spelunking' Gordon."

Gordon rolled his eyes, "exactly what I said. You need to get your ears checked Doctor." He teased. They were almost to the tunnel now, they'd passed the body almost five minutes ago, and Virgil had ID the body as Craig Townsend, one of the missing miners. The cause of death? Trauma to the back of his head that was caused by the fall.

After their bantering, the rest of the trip passed quickly. Gordon trying to ignore the unease that he felt growing around them.

They pulled to a screeching halt, almost three feet away from the cave-in, where Scott stood. Waving his arms, he directed the Thunderizer closer.

"What do you think Scott is going to do once he finds Alan's the one piloting?" Gordon whispered, leaning over the seat.

"Who knows, but my guess is that a cave-in is the least of our worries at the moment."

Gordon chuckled mentally, oh, Scott would be furious with them all right. Though really, that was the least of their problems at the moment. Besides, Alan needed chances like this and that was something Gordon was painfully aware of.

Much to Gordon's further amusement, Alan decided that, once they came to a stop, he'd stick his head out the open door. "Hey Scott!" He called with a grin.

Scott's reaction could only be described as comical. In the glow of headlights, the young man's face went almost white, then a peculiar shade of red, his eyes wide. He scanned the front of the car, until his eyes landed on Gordon. He tried to fix him with a glare, however, Gordon simply grinned back at him and waved. Scott could only fume as Alan swung open the door, jumping out excitedly onto the stone floor.

The young teen grinned. "So what do you want me to do?" He asked, bouncing backing and forth on the back of his heels.

Scott sighed, shaking his head, resigned to the fact that he couldn't send Alan back now. "Just... help Gordon fire up the Thunderizer."

Alan nodded, and Scott could almost see him trying to reign in all of that excess energy as he forced himself to walk calmly towards the Thunderzier. Scott sighed, he really didn't want Alan here, and a part of him was furious with Gordon for allowing him to come. Still, he could see where Gordon was coming from, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He and Gordon were going to have a good, long talk once they got home.

He turned his attention back to the miners. "Listen, I'm going to need you get as far away from the entrance as possible. We're going to get you out, but I don't know what doing so will do to the structure of the mine. You're going to need to get Chase out. We'll try to help you the best we can."

Virgil was beside him now, and he turned to Scott. "I have medical equipment back in the Thunderizer. I can't do much right now though, just make a basic brace to keep the leg from moving."

Scott nodded, giving his brother's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You'll do fine. The rest of the miners are all right."

"They got lucky. There's a reason that these mines are kept closed down." His voice was low.

"With the Rangers so busy, they're lucky that we were able to bail them out."

Julie's voice jolted them out of their hushed conversation. "Alright. We're ready for you!"

The oldest Tracy turned to the others, giving them the universal 'go-ahead' signal- a thumbs up.

From the cockpit, Gordon talked Alan through the steps. Of course, Alan had used the Thunderizer before when he, TinTin and Fermat were escaping the Hood. It was different in a rescue situation, with people trapped behind a thick layer of stone.

Then, the device fired up, and a large chunk of the rock blocking the exit vaporized into tiny fragments of dust that added to the dirt that was already on the floor. By the time that Alan stepped out of the Thunderizer, Virgil and Scott were helping Ian bind his broken leg with some of the medical supplies that Virgil had brought with him from Thunderbird 2. Alan moved to help the other three miners, Chase, Adam and Julie.

Ian was a tall man, with fiery red hair, taller even than Scott. He was covered in a thick layer of grime, and looked absolutely exhausted. And no wonder Alan thought. He couldn't imagine being trapped in the dark for such a long length of time. The young man turned to the second miner, a young woman who was Ian's exact opposite. Where Ian was tall, and well-built, Lisa was almost a half a head shorter than Alan. Mousey brown hair had once been pulled up into a ponytail, but now most of it hung down around her shoulders. Her face streaked with dirt, and grime. Adam reminded Alan a little bit of Gordon. He was clearly the youngest member of the team. Nineteen, Or possibly eighteen years old. With copper-colored hair cropped short around his face, and brown eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Julie nodded. "I'm fine, my shoulder got bruised during the Earthquake, but Ian is the one who needs help right now. Adam's a bit shaken, but he's fine."

Alan frowned. "You should still have V... Thunderbird 2 look at that though."

"Which one is Thunderbird 2?"

Alan pointed in Virgil's direction to where he was wrapping a binding around Ian's leg.

Julie chuckled. "Sorry, should have guessed. Are all of you trained medically?"

"We've all got some basic medical training. And I'm learning a little" He let out a chuckle as he recalled some of the larger textbooks and sessions where Virgil had him sitting down in the infermary with "But Thunderbird 4 doesn't like needles, and the rest of us didn't have the aptitude for medical study like Thunderbird 2 does."

Julie nodded understandingly. "My older sister- Ashley, she doesn't understand why I like mines and digs like this so much." She laughed again. "You know, probably after this is over, I'll be heading right back underground again."

Alan couldn't imagine anybody wanting to spend all of their time in such a dark space. He'd been up on Thunderbird 5 with John after Brains and Fermat had finished with their repairs, and had been struck by how dark and cold space was. Alan hadn't been sure that he'd be able to spend more than a day up there, but John's enthusiasm for his second home had rubbed off on Alan- and he'd found himself just as comfortable on Thunderbird 5 as he was on Tracy Island.

"I can understand that." Out of the corner of his eye, something caught his attention, it was a small leather work belt, and Alan guessed that it must have belonged to one of the miners. "Hang on a second" He said, ducking into the mouth of the cave. Ignoring Scott's calling out to him.

As he knelt down to pick up the bag, something glinting in the dirt. Curiosity piqued, he reached down to lift it out of the dirt. It was about the size of a half-dollar, maybe even a little bit bigger. At one time it had been a shiny, gray material. _Some kind of silver… _Alan thought. Rubbing a little bit of the dirt off with his thumb, the leather bag he'd come in to get hanging off his right arm. He expected there to be some sort of president maybe on the coin, but instead there was a crudely drawn five-pointed star.

Almost subconsciously, Alan slipped the coin into his back pocket. While he left the cave only to be greeted by a furious Scott as they helped the missing miners back to the surface.

_**To Be Continued... **_


	3. A Shift in Power

**Disclaimer: **_Thunderbirds and Power Rangers belong to Saban/Disney and Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. But I've put them on my list of graduation presents. Maybe somebody will buy them for me ;) _

Chapter Three: A Shift in Power 

_A thunderbirds/lightspeed rescue crossover_

By – Little Bat

***

Thunderbird 1 plowed through the clouds as it headed toward Tracy Island. The blue and silver Thunderbird was arguably faster than the bulkier Thunderbird 2, and was closer to Tracy Island than it's green counterpart.

Alan Tracy sat in the co-pilot's seat, blue eyes staring ahead as his mind wandered. Scott hadn't said anything when he told him that he'd be riding with him instead of helping Virgil and Gordon clean up the machinery in Thunderbird 2. On a normal day, Alan would have been bouncing in excitement at the chance to get out of clean-up duty. However, the today had a currently different feel. Both parties were silent- Scott focusing on maneuvering the Thunderbird along the path that Brain's had selected, and making a conscious effort NOT to look over towards Alan.

To say that Scott was furious would have been an understatement. Alan had gone back into an unstable tunnel, and for what? Some woman's _wallet? _It was foolish and irresponsible. Even more pressing was, that despite him specifically telling Gordon not to bring Alan into the danger zone, he had. It wasn't that he didn't want Alan on the rescues, far from it. But the protective Big-Brother in him was protesting against sending him into a situation where it couldn't be guaranteed that Scott would be there to pull him out of danger. _Since when do they listen to anything I say anyway..._ Out of the corner of his right eye, Scott glanced at Alan. The younger boy had his hand in his pocket and was fiddling with something inside of it.

_I might not like sending my baby brother into the danger zone, but he is a valuable member of the team. More than I give him credit for. He even takes orders pretty well, and he is willing to jump into whatever task that we need him doing. So long as it didn't involve being left behind, that is._

"Alan?"

His brother turned towards him warily.

"Can you bring up Tracy Island on our radio?"

The younger boy nodded, and dialed up the communications for Tracy Island.

"Tracy Island this is Thunderbird 1- we're coming in for a landing. Our ETA is five minutes."

Instead of Brains, or their Father's voice on the other end, it was Fermat who spoke. "FAB Thunderbird 1! Better make it quick because Onaha's got dinner almost r-r-finished."

He heard Gordon coming in over the end of Thunderbird 3's speakers. "Scott - if you get there first you and Alan better not start eating dinner without us!"

"Gordon! Will you stop shouting? They're right there!" At this point however, Virgil's voice was just as loud as Gordon's own. This was a fact that the younger Thunderbird was quick to pick up on.

"You're just as loud as I am Virge!"

"Motor mouth."

"Mother hen."

"Fish-bait."

Scott gave a petulant sigh as he listened to the (mostly) good natured bantering between his two younger brothers. Despite that, he found his worried thoughts drift back towards the youngest Tracy brother, instead of the delicious meal that Onaha was undoubtedly preparing for the family that evening. The only smile that Alan had cracked was towards Virgil and Gordon's dialogue over Thunderbird 1's radio control. On any normal rescue, the young teen was a bundle of energy, and by the end of the day Virgil would be begging Scott to take _at least _one half of the terrible twos in Thunderbird 1, if only to have a little peace and quiet from Alan's endless barrage of questions. Today on the other hand, Alan seemed content to simply sit and stare out the co-pilot window.

Something was wrong. That feeling hadn't gone away once they had put Banshee Pass in their rear-view mirror. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, and that bothered him. Scott hated feeling like he was missing pieces of a puzzle. If Alan had something that he was hiding from him, he'd figure it out. Alan had never been very good at keeping anything secret for long. Scott just hoped they'd find out what it was soon enough...

***

Tracy Island was a welcome sight as the green trees came into view- however it was replaced rapidly by a feeling of dread. Scott would, undoubtedly bring up his little... mistake to his Dad during the debriefing. And Alan wasn't sure that he wanted to stick around for the lectures and the disappointment afterward. Maybe he could skip out on dinner and go for a walk around the Island after their debriefing. That'd be a good way to make sure that he'd avoid the other family members afterward. He wasn't feeling too hungry today anyway. Much to his surprise. Usually he was starving after a rescue, but the tense ride on the way home had diminished his appetite. He'd probably find something to snack on later. Gordon was always hiding sweets around the Island where he thought the others wouldn't look. _Like the bag full of Captain Crunch that he hid in that Whole Grain cereal that Tintin seems to like. And he thought that I wouldn't find out! Heck, even if I'm not going to get chewed out, I'd still rather be outside than at Dinner. It'll be nice to be out in the sun for a while. Especially after spending most of the day in that mine. _

The rest of the landing passed by in a busy flash. Alan and Scott punched in the controls necessary to successfully land the Thunderbird into it's hanger bay- and quickly changed from their International Rescue uniforms into civilian clothes. Jeans and a light gray t-shirt for Alan, and sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt for Scott. Comfortable for home, but impractical for running rescues and keeping up what Gordon dubbed as their "professional hero" look. Then, they headed down to their father's office for a debriefing of their recent rescue.

During the meeting, Alan found couldn't meet his brothers eyes, instead focusing on the window just beyond his father's head, or on the small hole one the left toe of his socks. Those were much more interesting. Who knew, after all that specks on the window could come in so many different shapes and sizes?

"... and the communications on Thunderbird 5 were less than operational during the rescue. They worked fine before and after" John said from his place on the view screen in his Jeff's office. "I lost video a couple of times- and was having a hard time contacting the others while they were underneath the mines. It was almost total static, even with Thunderbird 5's advance sound equipment and radio systems, I couldn't get more than a couple of clipped words from their end."

Jeff "hmmed" over steeped fingers. "It is possible that Thunderbird 5's communications are having issues when it comes to communicating underground. Most of our rescues since the modifications to Five have been above ground. I'll send Brains and Fermat up tonight to see if they can't pinpoint a problem. That would also give you a little break."

John nodded. "That would be fantastic. It's been awhile since I was surface-side."

"Good. It's settled then. I'll fly up there tonight with Brains and Fermat."

"FAB Dad, looks like I will be seeing you guys sometime tonight then."

When John's view-screen went blank, Jeff turned to his other four sons. "Alright then, That seems to be everything." Jeff announced, slipping his page of notes into a plain folder. "You're all dismissed. Lets head down for dinner before Onaha comes up here herself."

There was a burst of laughter from the rest of the Tracys, but Alan found it hard to join in. He kept darting quick glances at Scott, just waiting for him to drop the bombshell. Much to his surprise, it never came. and the family dispersed to head down to the dining room.

Both boys hung back while they waited for their family to go ahead of them, and once their figures had disappeared around the hallway corner- Alan turned to Scott.

"So how come you didn't bring up my mistake to dad?" The younger boy demanded.

Scott gave a small shrug. "It isn't like we haven't made mistakes before. Virgil did the same thing once, because he _thought _that he'd forgotten his med kit back on the site."

"You're _kidding. _Virgil's usually as far from reckless as you are going to get."

"Yeah, but that's the thing Sprout. We all make mistakes, believe it or not. Dad still doesn't know about that little... incident. And he won't find out about this one either. Not from me anyway. I'm not happy that you disobeyed by going into the mine." Scott cut off Alan's indignant protest. "But I see why you _did._ We aren't trying to prevent you from becoming a Thunderbird Alan. We just don't want to see our brother get hurt. Next time, think you can listen a little better?"

Alan grinned up at Scott, anger and worry gone. "I can try. No promises though."

Scott chuckled and reached out to ruffle the younger boy's hair. "If you had said anything different, I would have thought you were lying."

Alan gave a half-hearted attempt to dodge another hand, "quit fooling around. Gordon and Dad are going to eat everything before we even get there at this rate!"

Dinner passed by quickly. Everybody ate fast, while Fermat, Alan and Tintin chatted eagerly with one another about the time that Fermat would be spending on Thunderbird 5, and Lady Penelope's upcoming visit.

"And Mister Tracy said that she got clearance to bring a friend along too..." Tintin announced, setting down her soda glass beside her plate.

"Really? Is it somebody that we met before?"

"Unless we know a person named Natalie Goodkind? Nope. Lady Penelope has mentioned her a couple of times though. They were friends back when she was younger. Back in school I think..."

Fermat scrunched up his face, shoving his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he did so. "I b-be-b-think that Penny has mentioned her before."

Alan nodded. "The name does sound familiar. But I don't think any of us have met her. Does she know about the Thunderbirds?"

Tintin shook her head. "I don't think she has that kind of clearance. But either way, we'll find out next week."

Fermat sighed. "I will be up on Thunderbird 5, so you're going to have to tell me about her."

The two other teenagers nodded. "Of course!"

* * *

To say that Vypra was furious would have been an understatement. All her hard work was going to waste, all because of some snot-nosed teenager, it had taken MONTHS of hard work in order to get to where she had been. The demoness gave an ill-constrained sigh as her bat-like wings fluttered in irritation. That seemed to be the reoccurring _pattern _these days. The Underworld beneath Mariner Bay was a gloomy place already, and being trapped underground with that fool, Jinxer and that _brat _Olympus was more than any woman could bear.

_If only those -Rangers- hadn't killed Diabolico! He might have had a hot-head, but he was a far braver warrior than Olympus would ever be! Bansheera's little spawn doesn't deserve to have Diabolico's Star-power. All of my hard work, only to have his Seal fall into the hands of a Human! All my hard work, gone to waste. Casting the illusion of the great 'treasure' in the mine – luring those miners away from where I had been told the Seal was. Blocking communication into the mine... I even had to dirty my __**own **__hands instead of having one of the Batlings do my bidding for me! The fake phone calls… the Earthquakes. I could have been found out by any number of Under-dwelers. I can't blame Diabolico for not trusting me with the true location of the seal. Though I could have found it much faster if he had. But trust? In our line of work? Gets you killed, or worse. _

Despite her irritation over loosing the Star-Seal to the little human, Vypra could only thank her lucky stars that it hadn't been one of the Rangers who'd found the small coin. After all, they would have known of it's great power. She'd scryed the family after she'd fled the mines, they were ordinary. Apart from their magnificent flying machines. And had no knowledge of it's potential. That, was what she would work in her advantage... besides. Love made you weak. That was something she knew, and humans? They wouldn't kill one of their own.

She only had a little time left. The planets would be aligning soon, then- her mistress- Queen Bansheera would be freed. She just needed to acquire one thing first...

* * *

When his Dad had left on Thunderbird 3 with Brains and Fermat, Alan had gone to see them off- and then headed to his room. His primary concern wasn't getting sleep (although that _was _on his mind) but it was instead to find a home for the coin until he could get John's help in figuring out it's origin. He'd found the perfect place to keep it. For his recent birthday, Gordon had recently bought him a gag gift. A model of Thunderbird 4. Which looked little the the actual thing, and was only accurate in the color. It looked almost like one of the older, round submarines. The family had gotten good laugh out of it, and burst into a rather unusual rendition of the "_Yellow Submarine" _song. The top of it lifted up, and Alan took out the action figure of Luke Skywalker (which had been a gift from John) And placed the coin inside the cockpit. Nobody would think about looking in there.

When he fell asleep that night, he fell asleep quickly. But it was a light, uneasy sleep and Alan awoke to the sound of what he thought were wings rustling. He pried one eye open a crack, and in the dim light filtering in from the hallway underneath the door to his bedroom, Alan could have sworn he saw the outline of a woman, much too tall to be either Lady Penelope, Tintin, or Onaha.

Then his other eye opened and he jerked awake, eyes wide. There WAS somebody else in the room, and the rustling sound that he had heard earlier was wings. Large, leather wings protruded from her back and she was almost a head taller than Lady Penelope. She looked distinctly Asian, with short cropped black hair that bobbed around her chin, and dark almond shaped eyes, wearing as little as one possibly could, and tall boots that cut off just above her knees.

"Tell me where it is!" the Bat-woman shrieked, her voice high pitched and scathing on his ears. For the life of him, Alan couldn't figure out what she wanted.

"I don't know what your talking about!" He tried to sound firm, but his voice came out hushed and muffled, sleep having took it's toll on his body.

The woman (if that's really what she was) threw her head back and laughed, but it wasn't a friendly one and for a horrifying moment Alan was reminded of the Hood.

"Don't play _stupid _human. The Star Seal! I know you have it, I was there when you stole it out from under me!" She paused and lowered her voice. "Didn't your Daddy ever teach you that it's rude to steal things that belong to others?"

Alan gave a small, hysterical laugh. "Are you kidding? You're the one barging into somebody Else's house without an invitation!"

She gave another laugh. "Oh… I'm so _sorry, _that was very rude of me. Perhaps I should introduce myself before jumping ahead like this. I am Vypra." She paused almost as if she expected the name to mean something to Alan.

The teen however stared at her blankly. "Not ringing any bells." He was stalling for time as he tried to engage Vypra in some form of conversation, while he hoped that she wouldn't notice his hand as it crept toward the top drawer of his nightstand… and the foghorn that he had hidden for one of he and Gordon's future pranks. That way, he'd be able to make a noise loud enough to send one of his brothers running.

His subtle movement didn't go unnoticed, and with two long steps she was leering down at him, then she extended her hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

* * *

Scott stood out on the long flight of stairs that lead down to the pool from the Villa's second story. Inhaling deeply, he leaned against the railing as he enjoyed the cool air that had come in, giving Tracy Island a much needed break from the oppressive heat that had been the norm for the past few days. The overpowering taste of rain was in the air, but most likely it wouldn't hit until early in the morning. That gave Jeff a good chance to come down from Thunderbird 3 with John.

During the hours that had passed since they had arrived home from Banshee Pass- Scott had still kept that uneasy feeling. Something was wrong, and he couldn't put his thumb on it. For a while, he had wondered if it was because of the situation that had unfolded around them in the mines under Banshee Pass. That wasn't it, and it wasn't until he heard the pounding of footsteps behind him that he would realize what was wrong.

The loud thumping caused him to start, and bring his attention back to the world around him. Tintin was running down the hallway, shoving open the glass doors that lead to the stairs down to the pool, face streaked with tears- but Scott noticed something else. The faint yellow glow that had dilated the young Malaysian girl's eyes.

"It's Allan!"

Those words were enough to send Scott running into place beside her. Tintin had reluctantly unveiled her powers to the Tracy family sometime after the Hood's attack, before she became an official member of International Rescue. When her powers got involved, Scott knew better than to take the time to do silly things like ask questions.

They skidded to a rough stop in front of the door to Alan's room, and suddenly the closed door was no longer a problem as Tintin sent it flying open, and it's smooth surface slammed against the wall with a loud crash, and Scott felt his fists instinctively clench as he lunged forward.

All of the noise caused the intruder to turn, and cast a disinterested glance in Scott and Tintin's direction. "Well well, it looks like we've got a couple of party crashers to deal with."

Scott didn't have time to be surprised by the woman's wings. His attention had been drawn toward his brother. The woman had him dangling almost in midair, as a large, iridescent snake seemed to wrap around his brother's left arm, and crawl along his body, while it's head dangled in front of his right shoulder, head drawn back and ready to strike at Alan's neck, while the younger teenager struggled to catch a panicked breath.

"You _bitch! _Let him go!"

The Bat-Woman gave him a lidded, disinterested stare. "I do have a name."

"Don't care to learn it. Let him go.

"He has something that belongs to me. So I think I'll keep him just a little bit longer. Besides. He might make a nice chew-toy for my Batlings once I'm through with him."

_Any time now Tintin... _Scott tried not to look at her, nor out at the chair that had slid casually out from where it had been tucked into Alan's desk.

"Let him go." Tintin's voice was eerily calm, gold-hued eyes narrowed as she drew herself up to full height.

Vypra chuckled. "Just what do you think you can do to me, little girl? I think that I've faced worst threats than you before."

"_Don't _make the mistake of underestimating me."

"Yeah - she packs quite a punch." Scott tried to keep the panic out of his voice. _Just keep her monologing. Distract her long enough for Tintin to do her stuff.  
_  
The chair flew through the air, and slammed into the back of Vypra's head. She let out a piercing shriek and crumpled to the ground. At the same time the cobra that had wormed it's way around Alan's body vanished just as the younger boy collapsed in a heap beside her. With all restraint he might have had gone, Scott lurched forward, kneeling down and placing two fingers on Alan's neck. There was a pulse, weak and erratic, but there, and shallow breathing caused Alan's chest to rise and fall softly.

He turned to Tintin, who'd sunk to the ground while she cradled her head between her hands. "He's alright. Let's get you two down to the infirmary."

She shook her head. Rising upward as she did so, the gold light having left her eyes. "No I'm fine. We need to make sure Alan's okay first."

It wouldn't be until later that they discovered the imprint of a cobra that would run up and down the boy's body.

_**To Be Continued...**__Authors Note:__ GACK! This chapter was a killer to get out. –Breathes- I'm sorry if my action sequences are a bit choppy. I'm horribly out of practice writing them. Hopefully nobody was grossly out of character and that I didn't make any mistakes like my horrible number-mixup last chapter. –facepalms- Reviews and Constructive Criticism is loved. I'm operating without a beta however, so any mistakes are mine. –sighs- _

_On a different note: RPM, the new PR season is love. I'm not kidding. It's brilliant stuff! The characters are fantastic, and I love the plot and the way it's coming. And we're hardly ten episodes into the series! Seriously, go to youtube and type in "The Road To Corinth RPM part 1" you should get an episode link. And if you have time to spare, that's the PR season to start watching. _

_Since the Rangers are going to be introduced next chapter. There's going to be a small glossary at the end of chapter four, for the non PR fans reading this. ;) Though hopefully all characters will be explained… there's a lot of them. –sighs- Anyway – this is Little Bat, over and out! _


	4. Here Comes the Power

Upload date: 7/4/09

**Power Play**

By – Little Bat

_a Thunderbirds/Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue Crossover fanfic_

_Chapter Four: Here Comes the Power_

Dana Mitchell, the Lightspeed Rescue Pink Ranger, took long purposeful strides as she made her way down the hallway. Her military-issue boots clunked noisily against the metal floor of the underwater Aquabase as she did so. In her left hand, she clutched a manila folder, containing almost two solid week's worth of reports. Two weeks of Demon attacks on Mariner Bay, and two weeks of constant fighting for her and the rest of the Lightspeed Rangers. Dana had never been more grateful that one of the plus points of being a Power Ranger was quick healing, because they'd never be battle-ready normally.

This was a rare moment of quiet. They'd defeated Vypra and her demons several times, and it seemed that now they'd gone to lick their wounds. And Dana was taking the opportunity to get caught up on some much needed paperwork, death notices, damage reports, battle plans, and drafts for new weapons. She sighed, and wondered momentarily if the original Rangers had worried about thinks like paperwork. Of course, they hadn't been involved with any fraction of the Government, so the answer to that was probably no. Normally, all the paperwork was the job of their Red Ranger, Carter Grayson, but the young man had looked so worn out from their last battle that Danna had willingly agreed to help him out.

However, as she slowly began to approach the door to her father's office, Dana started to wonder if too _much _downtime was a bad thing for the Rangers. None of them were children anymore, yet all six rangers were clustered around the door to her father – Capitan Mitchell's – office, and were making a rather poor attempt at eavesdropping on whatever conversation was going on.

Despite the blatant unprofessional behavior, Dana couldn't help but hide a smile at the sight. Especially since her brother was crouched down, partially hidden behind Joel Rawlings and Chad Lee, looking all too much like the child she had dim memories of. It was nice to see her brother getting the chance to fit in a little. Though Carter kept glancing about anxiously, it was clear that the young man didn't think that this was such a bright idea…

Joel Rawlings was one of the oldest out of their Ranger group – and their resident Green Ranger. Born in raised in Texas, Dana hadn't met anyone else quite like the African-American teen. And his 'relationship' with Miss Fairweather proved to be a constant sort of amusement.

Chad Lee, on the other hand was one of the Ranger's quieter members. The Asian teen was one of the few people she knew who would willingly be dragged along on some of Kelsey's crasier schemes. But the Blue Ranger never complained, and dragged Kelsey along several times to go scuba diving as payback.

At the sound of the eighteen year olds heavy footsteps, Kelsey Winslow, the Lightspeed Yellow Ranger, turned to bestow a huge grin in Dana's direction, and wave her over to them.

She returned the smile, and shot Carter a sympathetic glance. Which the Red Ranger replied to with his best "Why me?" look.

"Your Dad… err… Capitan Mitchell got a phone call Dana!"

Dana frowned. "Kelsey, he's the Capitan of a government-run, secret, underwater base. He is bound to get a few phone calls."

Kelsey's grin grew to impossible proportions, and Dana vaguely recollected the Cheshire cat having a similar grin. "See, this is important because Ryan _remembers _the name of the people who called!"

Ryan Mitchell, Dana's twenty-one year old brother, and Lightspeed's Titanium Ranger, had chosen to ignore his sisters presence and tried to focus on listening in on the conversation behind the metal door. And now, Dana was having a hard time resisting the urge to do the same. Ryan had been gone for almost sixteen years. So whoever was calling would have had to have know their family from before the car accident, and before Diabolico had spirited Ryan away.

"You'll never be able to guess who it is either!" Joel hissed, as he tried to keep his voice low.

"Mind giving me a hint?"

"His kids are named after astronauts!"

"Kelsey!" Chad rolled his eyes. "You've given it away now!"

Dana felt her eyes widen. "You mean, Jeff Tracy?!"

"Got it in one!" Joel announced. "Well, thanks to Kelsey anyway."

The young woman made a face, but didn't otherwise react to Joel's good-natured prodding. "You guys know the Tracy family?"

"Yeah… they're old family friends. We used to go to their summer home every year. Our parents were friends before mom died, and Ryan and I grew up with the Tracy boys. Mister Tracy helped a lot with funding for the Aquabase."

Carter frowned. "Well, if he helped so much, how come none of his sons were candidates for the Morphers? Wouldn't that have been easier than tracking all of us down?"

"You'd think so. But Mr. Tracy's involvement was strictly financial. His wife died in an avalanche some years ago, and he pulled from the project. Maybe he didn't want to put his sons at risk."

Carter nodded. If you wanted safety, you didn't become a Ranger.

"Still… we haven't heard from him in a while… I wonder what's going on…"

"That's what we are trying to find out!"

***

Capitan William Mitchell hadn't expected a call from Jeff Tracy. Despite the two being close friends, the current situations both parents had found themselves in made it difficult to keep in close contact. After all, running an advanced, military-run organization dedicated to fighting of the Demonic forces that threatened Mariner Bay wasn't exactly something that was a part-time job.

And, discovering that your son was alive after sixteen years wasn't a minor event. Although, he really should have called Jeff as soon as he'd seen Ryan from Lightspeed Rescue's video monitoring systems.

Jeff Tracy wasn't a relaxed person in general, but something about his old friend's expression on the viewscreen was setting him on edge. And it was eerily similar to the one that he'd worn after they'd dug Lucille Tracy's body out of the snow...

"I'd say it's good to see you Jeff, but I'm going to bet that this isn't just a social call."

Jeff's tight smile didn't waver. "Then you'd be right Nathan."

Capitan Mitchell tried to force the growing unease that he felt by falling back into the familiar bantering that he and Jeff often found so familiar. "It never is, is it? It would seem that both our families attract trouble like flypaper attracts flies."

"Only this time it looks like our flypaper caught something a little bit bigger. We had a visit from one of your demons last night."

"One of our demons? I thought we agreed that Tracy Island was a safe haven?"

"We thought so. But the condition of my youngest tells me otherwise."

Capitan Mitchell knew that an expression of shock was playing across his face, but they'd pulled Jeff out of the Lightspeed Rescue missions after the last accident. To get his family away from all the terrors that lurked around Mariner Bay. Only, it seemed as though the terror had followed them across the oceans…

"Is Alan alright? And do you know who might have targeted your family?"

"Alan's in a coma. He hasn't woken up yet, but Virge says that apart from some bruising on his arms and neck, he's physically fine. Tin-tin and Scott got a good look at the Demon, and got to know her on a first-name basis it seems. Is the name Vypra familiar to you?"

"You have no idea just how much trouble. She's given my Rangers a run for their money more times than we care to count."

"That's not the worst of it however. According to Scott and Tintin, she was looking for something. And she left my son with a parting gift."

Capitan Mitchell felt the breath hitch in his throat. _No,no no no no. _He and his family were all too familiar with the sort of "gifts" that Vypra was known for leaving. When they'd built Lightspeed Rescue they had tried to keep Jeff's family away from things like Vypra. It had been too late to salvage his family, but it at the time, they could save what remained of Jeff's by removing them from the Lightspeed program.

Only, it seemed that even that wasn't enough.

"What sort of a parting gift?"

"Virgil isn't sure. It looks like it might be some sort of tattoo. But it doesn't appear to be made out of any sort of ink. He isn't sure how, but it seems like it might exist on _top _of Alan's flesh, as some sort of parasitical being. According to Scott, Vypra was looking for something when she attacked Alan, and we don't think that she got what she came for. We're worried that she might come back."

Capitan Mitchell gave a thoughtful nod as he tried to hide how worried he really was. Vypra and her demons rarely struck outside of Mariner Bay, and when they did, it was usually because of something very drastic indeed.

"I'm going to send the Rangers your way for a couple of days. Our jets are fast, and I think that Vypra's minions are off licking their wounds from the last time they got their butt's whooped."

"Thanks Nathan. I just wish we knew what they were after…"

_**To Be Continued… **_

**Authors Note: **

_GUH. I'm so sorry that this isn't done! :facepalms: I had my Graduation from High School, the party that followed, a surprise anniversary party for my friend, and helping out around the house/around my church. Things like writing got a way from me a little bit. That glossary I mentioned? Didn't happen. But if you Wiki Lightspeed Rescue it should have a decent explanation of characters/key events. I had to cut down this chapter to a third of its size, so that I could get it out before I go up to camp. Anyway, I hope you all are having a fantastic summer! See you round next chapter!_


	5. This Troubled Land

**Power Play **

Chapter Five: This Troubled Land

_a thunderbirds/lightspeed rescue crossover_

_By- _

_Little Bat_

Instead of the doorway to the supply closet that was directly across from his office, Captain Mitchell was greeted by a sight, that one expected from a group of ill-behaved toddlers, as opposed to a group of seasoned, highly-trained Rangers.

The first Ranger that fell through the suddenly opened door was his son. Ryan glanced up at him, and Captain Mitchell could _see _him struggling against looking _too _embarrassed. Carter on the other hand, looked suitably sheepish, and couldn't _quite _meet his eye. Chad too, looked embarrassed, and kept elbowing Kelsey in the shoulder. The youngest Ranger, on the other hand, couldn't quite keep that grin off her face, or that mischievous glint from leaking out of her eye.

Despite her middle name being 'crazy' Captain Mitchell was secretly glad for the younger Ranger's presence on their team. She kept the others from being too stiff, too formal, and a little more willing to engage in some mischief – kept them acting like other teen's their age. No doubt, this whole scenario had been helped along with Kelsey's eager prodding.

Dana hovered on the outskirts of the tangled group, and from the manila folder tucked neatly underneath his daughter's arm; he doubted she had played a part in the mischief. No doubt she was simply an innocent bystander. Joel didn't look too ashamed, and, from underneath the oversized cowboy hat he was sporting a grin that almost matched Kelsey's, _almost _being the key word.

"Sorry Sir, we couldn't help ourselves…" Kelsey blurted out, unable to keep up the seemingly awkward silence.

Having to play the military Captain, Captain Mitchell straightened, "Well, just remember, we have doors for a reason. But, I'm going to have to tell you anyway, since, it concerns all of you. What I'm about to tell you is highly classified, and I'd like for you all to step into my office. I don't think the hallway is the best place to tell you."

The shift from teenagers, goofing off and being silly to soldiers was almost palpable as the group stood to rapt attention, and headed into the Captain's office, ready and waiting for Captain Mitchell to speak.

"Now – you may be aware of the existence of an organization known as _International Rescue." _

Dana and the other Rangers nodded their heads. The Pink Ranger knew that Carter and Chad especially followed the rescues. All of the Rangers had learned that one of the things that you acquired; along with the Morphers was an acute sense of justice. They had to be on guard to protect Mariner Bay – but it felt good to know that there were others willing to jump to people's aid in a crisis. And while International Rescue couldn't deal with the supernatural in the same way that Lightspeed Rescue could.

"Their public identities have long been under scrutiny by the press, and citizens of Earth alike. However, very few people know who operates the organization."

All of a sudden, Dana put two and two together. The call from her father from the Tracy family, the recent addition of an extra member added to International Rescue's ranks. _Alan! _She realized, but she held her tongue and waited for her Father to continue.

"A little over ten years ago, Jeff Tracy's wife was killed in an accident- during that time he'd been working closely with me, Angela Fairweather's father, and Hiram Hackenbacker on a project tentatively known as the _World Watch _Our aim was to create a cohesive, worldwide organization that could be ready at a moment's notice to be ready against threats both supernatural _and _natural. Lucille Tracy lost her life in a bold attack by the remaining demons on Earth – so the group split. Hiram joined Jeff to form 'International Rescue', to deal with the natural side. And, after Angela's father died, she and I worked closely together to form the supernatural based side. What you now know as 'International Rescue' was the result of the split."

The look of complete surprise on Ryan's face was almost comical. Especially when it came from her serious older brother, and Dana's delight was only magnified when he spluttered. "You're trying to tell me that _Scotty _is flying around in one of those things?!"

Out of the corner of her eye Dana caught Joel mouth to Carter "_Scotty?" _Scott Tracy had been one of Ryan's best friends when they were kids. Like the older brother he'd never had, at the time, the two oldest Tracy's had become like brothers to the oldest Mitchell child. Dana was too little to remember, but on those lonely days when it had been just her and her father, celebrating a birthday for a brother she hardly remembered, she'd heard of some of the antics that had gone on during those peaceful years.

Truth be told though, she didn't have the same disbelief her brother had. Their families had remained very close over the years – and somehow, it didn't surprise her that the Tracy family was involved in something like this. She thought with a smile. They never did anything half-heartedly, and if she and her father could take part in the first government sponsored Ranger program, then – couldn't the Tracy's be a part of a similar organization? The thought almost brought a smile to her face, before she remembered why they'd been told this information. There was something that was horribly wrong, and even though she was expecting bad news, it still hit her like a sledgehammer.

"It seems Vypra and her demons aren't content to leave well enough alone, and have targeted the Tracy family. Their youngest seems to have..." the Captain paused, and Dana exchanged an uneasy glance with her brother. "He seems to have been afflicted with some kind of tattoo. We're not sure at this point, but we think it may be similar to the one that Diabolico cursed Ryan with. We're sending you to Tracy island because Vypra was searching for something. We don't know what it is, but we do know that she didn't find it, and we need to keep her from doing so."

Ryan's eyes darkened and Carter placed a steadying hand on the other Ranger's shoulder. The message was clear. Whatever Vypra had done, they'd undo it, that's what the Lightspeed Rangers existed.

"Look, whatever Vypra's done to Gordy, we'll undo it, right dad?"

For the briefest of seconds, Captain Mitchell gave his son a blank look, until realization sunk in, and he couldn't help but smile. "Ryan, I hate to break it to you, but Gordon Tracy isn't the youngest anymore."

_**To Be Continued…**_

**Authors Note:**

_WOW! That took a long time to write, didn't it guys? I'm so sorry about that. Real life got in the way. As well as an original novel, that has proceeded to eat my brain to the point where I'm dreaming about my characters. I've had this written since April, but haven't had the time to post it since then. I caught a mistake in "Commander" Mitchell's rank – and first name. He's actually a Capitan, so I got to go through my last chapter and fix it. Check your facts, folks! _

_No Tracy's in this chapter, but we finally get the Rangers! I hope I got their characterizations right. I haven't written them before. They're a weird bunch too, sometimes they seem like one of the more serious teams, until you get an episode like the one with the Shape-Shifter and they all corner Carter … I mean, really. _

_I hope I've made what happened to Ryan pretty clear. In the episodes where the Titanium Ranger was introduced, Ryan is (obviously) Captain Mitchell's son. I'm guessing when he was about 7-8ish he and his family were in an accident, and his father was forced to make a choice between his son and daughter. If he chose his daughter, his son would stay with the Demons until his 20__th__ birthday. After a brief stint of being evil, he rejoined his family, only to be cursed by a serpent tattoo by Diabolco, that slowly crawled up his back every time he morphed, until it reached his neck. When that happened, he'd die. _

_So – there's your background information for all you non-PR fans reading this! _

_I hope that you enjoy the remainder of your summer – and thanks again for all the reviews!_ :D


	6. Prelude to the Storm

Authors Note: I'm so sorry that I've delayed in putting this chapter out. Would you believe it was originally twice the length (handwritten) and I've had it done since April? I have lots of excuses. Life being the predominant one. And yes, I did change my Pen Name. I'm trying to consolidate my online screen names and changing them where I can. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me to see the newest chapter!

Power Play

_Chapter Six: Prelude to the Storm_

The overpowering smell of antiseptic, coupled by the less intense smell of fresh coffee flooded Alan's senses almost as soon as he woke up, and his eyes shut again reflexively against the harsh glare. The small motion didn't go unnoticed however, and Virgil's panicked voice cut through the muddled fog in his mind.

"Dad, Alan's waking up!"

_Of course I'm waking up. There isn't any way that I could fall back asleep with all of the lights that are on. _Even through the cotton that clouded his brain, the utter relief in Virgil's voice surprised Alan somewhat. And his head really shouldn't be this fuzzy if he'd just fallen asleep. Within moments the sound of heavy footfall against tile, and the large hand that came to rest on his shoulder informed him that his father had taken his place beside the bed.

"_Alan_, how are you feeling kiddo?"

This time, Alan forced himself to pry his eyes open, and he blinked several times against the light. "_Dad?"_ he slurred, tongue feeling wooden in his mouth as he tried to roll the simple word over it.

"Take it easy Sprout." This time it was Virgil's voice again. "You're still in the infirmary."

Alan frowned as he tried to piece together that new bit of information with what he remembered. "Rescue, did we do okay?"

Jeff nodded, and he exchanged a worried glance with Virgil before he continued. "We did good, Allie, remember? There was only one explorer who died before we got to the mines."

The memories were coming in fuzzily- chopped and diced into little pieces that he struggled to piece together. The rescue, all things considered, had gone well. He remembered coming home too – Dinner with the family, talking excitedly with Tin-Tin and Fermat, then – there was a woman with wings. They looked like they better belonged on bats than on the slight, oriental woman who leered at him from the doorway. There was something in her gaze that had almost reminded Alan of The Hood. Beyond that however, he couldn't remember anything.

"Wh'appened?"

"Do you remember being attacked?"

The younger boy thought for a moment, he didn't remember the event, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. After all, he was in the infirmary. "Nu'really. Attacked… there was a woman." The words were coming clearer now, as Alan's tongue began to loosen up. "She was different though, was weird, and looked kinda more like a bat."

Jeff inhaled sharply, now how was he going to explain that? Unconsciously his eyes darted over his youngest's bare shoulders, and the tattooed symbols that had been etched across Alan's skin. Raking a hand through his hair he thought, _'How am I going to explain this one?' _He'd tried so hard to keep his kids out of the war, and he'd hoped that by creating International Rescue he would be able to

"Alan, Vypra, the woman that attacked you," Jeff took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing. _"She wasn't exactly human."

Alan's face scrunched up and Jeff found himself attempting to resist the urge to let Scott or Virgil explain things. _Okay, so maybe I'm not being entirely clear about this… _ But he was surprised when Alan paused, then asked, "you mean, she's an Alien?"

Jeff let loose a small chuckle. "Don't we wish. She's a little bit closer to home than that."

"What do you mean?"

"When I mean that Vypra isn't human, I mean tha**t** she's a demon."

Alan blinked. _Oh boy, this is going to be difficult. _He caught Virgil's surprised expression from out of the corner of his eye. So maybe he hadn't been entirely through in informing his family of the upcoming threat. Needless to say, he had been a bit preoccupied in trying to get a hold of Captain Mitchell. But judging by the look his middle child was giving him, he had quite a bit of explaining to do in the future.

"You mean like from the underworld deomons?"

"Got it in one." Jeff smiled ruefully and noticed that Alan didn't even really seem surprised by all of this. He just nodded thoughtfully, and muttered;

"Thought there was sumthin' funny 'bout her." Alan muttered, almost more to himself than to his father; and Jeff could tell that the youngest was close to nodding back off. Jeff wasn't about to let that happen just yet.

"Listen Alan, do you remember _anything _unusual about the mission? Anybody… different that you might have run into, maybe they were down in the mines?"

Alan shook his head wearily. "Nothing, the mines were creepy though. Something about them gave me the shivers."

Jeff exchanged a weary look with Virgil. It took a lot for Alan to admit that he was scared. He remembered all too vividly the incident back when they first moved to the Tracy Island; Alan had been convinced the place was haunted. Only, instead of asking one of his older brothers for help, he'd refused to sleep for almost three days. Nobody had been the wiser either, until John and Scott had to all but pry it out of the younger boy.

"Its okay kiddo, you can get back to sleep now.

With that, Alan felt his eyes drifting shut again; and he let himself block out the worried chatter from around him.

- - -

"If Alan was spooked, that's bound to be bad news, isn't it Dad?"

Jeff nodded as his hands absently clenched and unclenched around his mug of coffee. "It's a safe bet that the news is more than bad Virgil."

Okay – it was time to stop beating around the bush and address the big, pink elephant that was sitting in the middle of the room.

"You told Alan that it was a demon that attacked him. What do you mean by that?"

It took so long for Jeff to respond that Virgil was starting to wonder if he would have to repeat the question again.

"I mean just what I said."

If it had been one of his brothers, Virgil might have written the statement off. Though the four siblings were close, sometimes you had to take things with a grain of salt. But their father was a different story. He didn't beat around the bush; and he was always blatantly honest with his kids where it counted.

"There's a lot that I haven't told you all… I'd hoped to shield you from it, but I should have known we'd get involved sooner or later."

Virgil was tense. He couldn't explain it, but there was something _big _that his father was leaving out. Something important. "Dad, what does this all have to do with Alan?"

"Everything. I'm sure you remember the Mitchells."

"Of course – they were only over every weekend back when we lived with Grandma. And I know that Gordon and Dana keep in contact. She's practically like a little sister."

"And you remember Ryan."

Virgil winced. How could he forget? The news of the younger boy's death had been hard, especially since it had marked the start of rough times ahead for both families. "I was only five. But I still kind of remember the funeral. I was too little to really 'get' it though."

Jeff nodded. "It's been a while." Had it really been sixteen years? It didn't seem like it. But Alan hadn't been born before the accident happened.

"I've tried to keep you all out of this. Do you think that we can wait until Alan wakes up? I really don't want to be repeating the entire story."

Virgil nodded. "Hopefully Alan will wake up soon. I'll let the others know in the mean time."

Jeff clamped a hand down on the middle Tracy's shoulder. "Thanks son." He cast another glance at the slumbering teenager. Danger magnet that he was, this entire scenario wasn't his fault. He just hoped that with the added help of the Mitchell family they would be able to find a solution to their rather large problem at hand…


End file.
